Director William Friedkin on the set of "Bug" from Lionsgate
William Friedkin is a legend made with a single film – “The Exorcist,” but this is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The man can intrigue you, keep you interested and calm in the presence of all that unfolds in front of you…and then shock your emotions and toy with your senses – welcome to the world of “Bug.”
We talk 1-1 with Mr. Friedkin about why he liked the play for a big screen adaptation and more.
Question:
On seeing the play and turning it into a movie:
William Friedkin:
“I saw it twice. It was the second time that I realized, that it was a brilliant piece of writing and that it really reflected the times more than anything I had seen recently. The kind of irrational fear and paranoia that it deals with, I think are very much out there and its how a great majority of people around the world feel.
So I thought there was a great degree of true in this work and it was brilliantly written and I think the fellow who wrote it, Tracy Letts, I’m going to make a prediction now that he will win The Pulitzer Prize this year for drama with his new play which is called August: Osage County, it opens November 20th on Broadway. I think he will win The Pulitzer Prize for playwriting. He really has a sense of contemporary life.”
Question:
What changes were made to adapt it for the screen?
William Friedkin:
“There were several changes to adapt it to the screen but I didn’t think it was broke and needed fixing, you know I felt it was very cinematic.”
Question:
Was it always your intention to keep Michael Shannon in the lead as he is in the play?
William Friedkin:
“There were many who wanted to do it and they even tried to buy it for themselves but I always felt that, you know, Michael was born to play this role.”
Question:
As far as Ashely Judd goes, did you ever think of having Shannon Cochryn (the female lead in the play) in this?
William Friedkin:
“I probably would have done it with her because she was great but the studio needed a name for the lead and I knew Ashley socially, I had never worked with her before, but I knew her socially. I felt that she had untapped talent; that had not really been fully seen. So I went to her, she’s the only real actress that we went to once I’d realized I had to do this with an actress who was known in order to get an answer. I went to her and she immediately sparked to it and she was great; she was wonderful to work with and I think, wonderful in the film.
While I had never worked with her as I say, I knew she was extremely intelligent and that’s the thing I most look for in an actor – intelligence. You know, the ability to understand what the whole piece is about in detail and understand all of its subtleness. She did. She’s an extremely gifted and intelligent woman and also with a big heart.”
Question:
On directing film compared to a play with the exception of cameras, digital effects:
William Friedkin:
“You have to conceive the work, the way it’s written, the way it’s photographed, the way it’s staged. The emphasis is always different; you know when someone is watching the play, they’re deciding who and what to look at at any given moment. In a film you’re deciding that for them…with close-ups of people or details or whatever.”
Question:
Do you think “Bug” has that appeal of becoming a cult classic favorite like “The Exorcist” on film?
William Friedkin:
“Yes, I think it will be. The power of the material.”
Question:
On Harry Connick Jr:
William Friedkin:
“He was wonderful in the film and just great to work with.”
Comment:
This character is a bit similar to “Copycat” with Sigourney Weaver
William Friedkin:
“I never saw that. I’d seen him on stage, you know, most recently in a musical in a revival of The Pyjama Game.”
Question:
So what do you want viewers to take with them from “Bug?”
William Friedkin:
“Well, that they’re seeing something powerful, original and unique. It’s kind of a very black comedy but it has echoes and reverberations into you know, life all around us; it’s not a fantasy; it’s something that, as far as I’m concerned has a very realistic face and deals with the way the world situation is today where no one seems to be in control and everything’s just whirling around in chaos.”
